In prior art devices of the energy regeneration type, it has been known to bring contaminated fumes or odors into a combustion chamber for burning the same at a sufficiently high temperature that substantially all that is released to the atmosphere is carbon dioxide and water.
It has also been known, that, in passage of such gases into a combustion chamber, they can pass preliminary through stoneware beds on their way to the combustion chamber, which stoneware beds have been pre-heated, so that they, in turn, can preheat the incoming gases so that combustion is assured as soon as the incoming gases pass into the combustion chamber. Sometimes, such gases, if they contain volatile organic compounds, can auto-ignite while still in the presence of the stoneware in the stoneware chambers. Generally, however, the principal combustion takes place in the combustion chamber. Periodically, the flow of gases is reversed, such that gases from the combustion chamber pass outwardly through the stoneware chamber, to pre-heat the same, as the products of combustion pass outwardly on their way to atmosphere. Generally such combustion processes alternate the flow through the recovery chambers having stoneware therein, such that the stoneware alternately pre-heats the incoming gases containing the undesired volatile organic compounds, or is itself heated by outgoing gases passing from the combustion chamber to atmosphere. This alternation occurs on a regular basis.
An example of such a system is that that is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,918 issued to James H. Mueller on July 22, 1975, the complete disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
It is also known to construct the combustion chamber wall that separates the combustion chamber from the recovery chambers that hold the elements, into an arcuate, or preferably circular configuration, such that the pile of elements in each recovery chamber exerts its weight or gravity forces against the convex side of a built-up block wall, such that the number of blocks that comprise the wall remain in sufficient compression that they can resist the weight of the pile of stones in the recovery chamber. Such features are disclosed in co-pending U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,531 granted Oct. 6, 1987 on application Ser. No. 874,876, filed June 16, 1986 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,531 in the name of Edward H. Benedict, the complete disclosure of which is also herein incorporated by reference.